Contemporary walk through a 400-year old samurai district

In the 6th year of Ganna (1620), during the early Edo Period, a large scale urban planning was undertaken. In this period the area of Kakunodate developed as a castle town. The area is rare in modern Japan, a well-preserved and highly authentic architectural representation of the early Edo Period. It has thus been designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings.

Former mansion residences of samurai line the street, once referred to as “Uchimachi,” the Inner Town. The main mansions, black walls, and gates of the samurai residences are distinctive. One of the residences is now a shop where you can rent a kimono. If you wear one while walking in the area, it adds another dimension to the experience, making one feel like a time traveler, strolling alongside samurai of early Edo.

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